“King Charles.”
CORRECT. In the season 6 episode ‘Willsmania’, Prince Charles (played by Dominic West) attempts to bond with his son William over the song.
“That was a career highlight for me. Watching it, I couldn’t believe it was happening.”
Any idea if any of the Royals were actually fans of the song?
“I don’t know if they liked my music. I met Prince Harry because someone brought him to my [34th] birthday party, but asking him about my music was not on the tip of my tongue! It’s not something I normally ask people – you never know what answer you might get! [Laughs]”
Olivia Rodrigo memorably brought you onstage at her London gig in 2022 to perform ‘Torn’. What has it felt like to be championed by the new generation of pop stars?
“I’ve got a lot to thank Olivia for because she got me onstage to sing ‘Torn’ and a lot of young children might not have even known who I was. I’m grateful for that stamp of approval and she’s an incredible songwriter. And then, last year, Gracie Abrams and Camila Cabello each sang ‘Torn’ whilst they were in Australia. I’ve DM-d all of them with so much gratitude. Because of them doing that, I can still have a career. Also, I didn’t have many friendly people – that I admired and looked up to – supporting me, so I’m conscious of what it feels like to come into this industry.”
For a bonus half-point, which British dance-pop star covered ‘Torn’ at her Melbourne show in March this year?
“Dua Lipa.”
CORRECT.
“YES!! I can do quizzes. I’ve got a complex about quizzes, even if it’s a jokey one!”
Similarly, you covered Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’ on The Masked Singer in 2022.
“[Laughs] While dressed as a panda! I think her songs had panda-vibes – there was more than just ‘Levitating’. I could have done her whole repertoire! I was able to live out my pop star fantasies doing Dua songs, because I previously had this chip on my shoulder that I was a stage school kid, so I was bred to do that. I was one exam away from being a tap teacher. So, I should have dancers behind me, but I got to 16 and thought that wasn’t cool. There’s a part of me that thinks that was a mistake now, so getting to be a panda and do dance routines? Are you kidding me?”
